CLAYTON — The Antique Boat Museum (ABM) in Clayton, in Jefferson County recently broke ground on a new facility that will focus on the care and maintenance of the museum’s permanent boat and engine collections. The new building will “enhance ABM’s capabilities to fulfill its mission to preserve and celebrate fresh-water recreational boats and boating,” […]
CLAYTON — The Antique Boat Museum (ABM) in Clayton, in Jefferson County recently broke ground on a new facility that will focus on the care and maintenance of the museum’s permanent boat and engine collections.
The new building will “enhance ABM’s capabilities to fulfill its mission to preserve and celebrate fresh-water recreational boats and boating,” per its Nov. 18 announcement. ABM boasts a collection of more than 300 antique and classic boats and thousands of recreational boating artifacts.
ABM is working with BCA Architects & Engineers of Syracuse and Con Tech Building Systems of Gouverneur on the project. The museum has a fundraising goal of $3.5 million for the project, Jess Gould, events and communications coordinator for the Antique Boat Museum, tells CNYBJ in an email.
The boat shop has been designed to provide dedicated spaces for professional repair and maintenance, “ensuring that the museum’s permanent collection can be preserved and showcased at the highest standard,” ABM notes.
The new project will enhance the museum’s preservation efforts and “play a crucial role” in the museum’s educational programming.
“As a chartered institution through New York State’s Education Department, we are committed to providing exceptional learning opportunities for our community,” Rebecca Hopfinger, executive director of the Antique Boat Museum, said in the announcement. “The Boatyard will allow us to expand our educational impact significantly, creating an environment that fosters hands-on learning through year-round classes, potential apprenticeships, and partnerships with higher educational institutions.”
Charles Crow, chairman of the ABM board of directors, called the boat shop project “the keystone to museum objectives in many dimensions.”
“It enables the museum to provide educational opportunities in the varied disciplines associated with marine science, whether an individual’s interests are of a vocational or avocational nature. It is an asset to the museum as an institution, but also, to the community at large,” Crow said. “It provides opportunities to witness and learn tradecraft while serving as another reason to visit and take advantage of all Clayton offers. Just as importantly, the activities in the boat shop will allow for the in-house care and preservation of the entire collection, including the in-water fleet. These in-water boats, whether rowed, sailed, or powered, provide a unique visitor experience into boating’s past. The items in the collection are as much pieces of art as they are the story of commerce, transportation, and pleasure on the water historically, all of which is better told and enhanced through the boat shop.”
A special dedication of the new building is slated for September 2025 during the Antique & Classic Boat Society’s 50th Anniversary Meeting and Boat Show, which will be sited at the Antique Boat Museum’s waterfront.
